Lessons Learned

DYCD has been collaborating with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an external evaluation of the SONYC initiative since 2014. The evaluation is designed to understand program implementation and youth outcomes: what do SONYC programs look like and offer across the city and how are they affecting participants, their families, and the community? Explore the links below to learn more about the SONYC initiative, including evaluation findings and resources for program staff.

SONYC Evaluation Findings

This infographic provides a snapshot of the School’s Out New York City (SONYC) initiative in its first expansion year. Learn more about enrollment, activities, and see what key stakeholders have to say about their SONYC program. The infographic may be downloaded in full color or black and white.

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) contracted with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an evaluation of the SONYC initiative. The annual technical report contains the methods and findings from the first year of the evaluation, which focused primarily on activities that would continue to deepen our understanding of program implementation and of stakeholder perceptions. Download the Year 1 executive summary here or emailjnewman@air.org for the full technical report.

This infographic provides a snapshot of the School’s Out New York City (SONYC) initiative. Learn more about increasing enrollment, activities, and see what key stakeholders have to say about their SONYC program. The infographic may be downloaded in full color or black and white.

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) contracted with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an evaluation of the SONYC initiative. The annual technical report contains the methods and findings from the second year of the evaluation. Download the Year 2 executive summary here or email jnewman@air.org for the full technical report.

This infographic provides a snapshot of the School’s Out New York City (SONYC) initiative. Learn more about enrollment, activities, and see what key stakeholders have to say about their SONYC program. The infographic may be downloaded in full color or black and white.Download Key Findings from the SONYC Evaluation: Year 3 (2016–2017)

School’s Out New York City Initiative Year 3 Technical Report, Executive Summary – Year 3 (2016-2017) o The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) contracted with American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an evaluation of the SONYC initiative. The annual technical report contains the methods and findings from the third year of the evaluation, which focused primarily on activities that would continue to deepen our understanding of program implementation, stakeholder perceptions, and youth leadership development as an outcome of interest. Download the Year 3 executive summary here or email jnewman@air.org for the full technical report.

Research-to-Practice Briefs

DYCD Focus is an occasional series of thematic stories on best practices across DYCD programs. This edition focuses on youth leadership development and features strategies program staff can use to support youth skill development and leadership-focused programming.

Tools for Program Staff to Promote Youth Leadership Development Practices

The Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) supports an array of programs for young people. While they vary in terms of specific activities offered, objectives and settings, all DYCD programs operate within a single framework shaped by three interrelated concepts: Positive Youth Development (PYD), Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and Youth Leadership. This Guide encapsulates DYCD’s perspectives on PYD, SEL, and Youth Leadership and indicates how they should be embedded into practice. It also includes the DYCD frameworks for each concept. The purpose of the DYCD Youth Leadership Development Framework (page 11) is to promote a common language for youth leadership development and to help providers map out and design quality youth leadership programming; it was designed to answer the question: “What is youth leadership development?"

To support program staff in their implementation of programs that promote youth leadership development, DYCD and AIR developed a self-reflection tool that is grounded in the core components of the DYCD Youth Leadership Development Framework. This self-reflection tool is informed by the literature on high-quality youth leadership practices and mirrors the common language and practices identified in the leadership framework. It is designed to promote a shared understanding of high-quality practices that promote youth leadership development, allow staff members to reflect on their practice, and encourage continuous improvement of practice over time. Please also refer to the Youth Leadership Development Self-Reflection Tool Glossary.

To support program staff in their implementation of programs that promote youth leadership development, DYCD and AIR have developed a suite of resources on youth leadership development including the DYCD Youth Leadership Development Framework and Youth Leadership Development Practices Program Staff Self-Reflection Tool.These two resources are accompanied by a glossary that provides definitions for the attitudes and skills that are included in the youth leadership framework, examples of the attitudes and skills in action, and strategies for embedding the concepts into programming. The glossary is designed to provide a clear understanding of the expectations of youth leadership so that all DYCD programs have a shared lens and language.

Learn more about the SONYC survey, designed to measure a young person’s perception of his or her attitudes and skills related to youth leadership development. This 27-item survey is currently being administered in a representative sample of SONYC programs and will undergo revisions during the summer of 2017. DYCD expects to release the survey within the next year. For more information on the survey, email jnewman@air.org.